For All the Cheetah Fans

A cheetah named Chewbaaka and six other cheetahs have helped sequence the species entire genome. Scientists used their blood samples, which helped discover their full set of chromosomes. The endangered animals are known for running speeds close to 60mph because of their unique features. These features include elongated legs and claws that grip like football cleats. Strangely, the cheetah has less than 5% of the genomic diversity of other wild cats. They have the lowest of the 30 mammals whose genomes have been sequenced. The article states how genetic diversity is determined by variation in enzyme genes inherited by two parents, which is critical for healthy reproduction and immunity to disease. Therefore, the larger the gene pool, the greater the chance of survival, which is not the case for cheetahs.

Scientists provided two reasons as to what reduced the cheetah's genetic diversity, one happening 100,000 years ago. When the species started to migrate to Asia and Africa, they produced population bottlenecks. This caused a drastic loss in their numbers and they were forced to inbreed. A similar bottleneck event happened 11,000-12,000 years ago, forcing them to inbreed once again.
The sequencing genome has explained the sperm abnormalities that cheetahs possess today and also how the cheetahs run. They can see which genes contribute to the animal's muscle contractions. Today, there are only 10,000 cheetahs remaining and they face habitat loss daily.

This article was both interesting and sad. Cheetahs are one of my favorite animals and knowing how they don't have much genetic diversity is awful because they are already endangered. However, Dr. O'Brien says, "with some conservation help from people, they should be able to survive their genetic disadvantages." So I really do hope we can find a way to help the cheetahs.